Raw emotion speaks volumes about the meaning of a moment. Following the raising of the arms that delcared a WBC Latino Silver Light Heavyweight champion, that raw emotion poured out of the new belt holder, Marcos Escudero. Why were there so many emotions? Well, like many who compete in professional sports, there are many factors that lead them to this point.
Escudero’s road to this title definitely was not the easiest. His youth was dominated by poverty and tough crowds that enticed him into a lifestyle that he did not want to live. After a brief stint as an athletic coach in his teens, Escudero would jump into the world of amateur boxing where he would find some immediate success, at one point becoming Argentina’s amateur national champion, launching towards what would be a quick and successful amateur career before his decision to turn pro in 2017.
Escudero would, just as he did at the amateur level, waste no time creating a name for himself at the professional level. Escudero would begin his career with three technical knockouts while traveling around the state of Florida, catching the attention of North Carolina-based manager Gardner Payne. In April of 2018, just ten months after his professional career began, Escudero and Payne would sign a deal. Following an impressive Payne Boxing debut in a unanoimous decision in front of Payne himself in Charlotte, Escudero would begin a journey towards a title belt that would lead him to April 6th’s fight.
So, I bet your thinking that Escudero’s life has been pretty smooth since his boxing career began, right? Well, there’s one moment that we forgot to mention. Shortly after his amateur career began, Escudero lost his grandfather. The person who mentored him as a young boy when he was chasing the of becoming a soccer star and the father figure in his life passed away due to cancer. His death became another point of inspiration for Escudero, all the way up until the title fight, Escudero’s first fight in his home country, which took place in the town that he was raised by his grandfather. Escudero’s entrance to the ring back on April 6th paid tribute to his grandfather and made the moment of victory even more speical. “The hat that I wore out was the hat that my grandfather gave me before he passed away, so that entrance was really special for me,” Escudero told Payne Boxing Live in an interview a few days after the fight. “I wanted to wear it for a fight in my home country of Argentina and my hometown of General Arenales and I was able to honor my grandfather (on April 6th). I knew my grandfather was there with me.”
His grandfather wasn’t the only family that was in attendance on that Saturday night, though. Being back in Buenos Aires, family, friends and fans were able to see Marcos fight for the first time in his home country. For someone that had been away from his family for an extended period of time late in his amateur career and early in professional career while he was chasing his dream, it was special to fight the biggest fight of his career in front of them. “For me it was really exciting to fight in front of everyone that supported me. For those who watched me grow up it was a super special fight and I was able to win the world championship in front of them.”
For a young man who has been through so much so far in his young life, it is easy to understand now why this title meant so much to him. To get the opportunity and succeed in front your family and supporters, while also getting an opportunity to honor a grandfather who helped you so much along the way, there’s a reason that this fight meant so much. The best thing is, this was not the end of the Marcos Escudero story, either. The next chapter is still waiting to be written.